If you connect with ADO.NET or the SQL Native Client to a database that is being mirrored, your application can take advantage of the drivers ability to automatically redirect connections when a database mirroring failover occurs. You must specify the initial principal server and database in the connection string and the failover partner server.

There is ofcourse many other ways to write the connection string using database mirroring, this is just one example pointing out the failover functionality. You can combine this with the other connection strings options available.

The User Instance functionality creates a new SQL Server instance on the fly during connect. This works only on a local SQL Server instance and only when connecting using windows authentication over local named pipes. The purpose is to be able to create a full rights SQL Server instance to a user with limited administrative rights on the computer.

To use the User Instance functionality you need to enable it on the SQL Server. This is done by executing the following command: sp_configure 'user instances enabled', '1'. To disable the functionality execute sp_configure 'user instances enabled', '0'.

Are you using SQL Server 2008 Express? Don't miss the server name syntax Servername\SQLEXPRESS where you substitute Servername with the name of the computer where the SQL Server 2008 Express installation resides.

If you connect with ADO.NET or the SQL Native Client to a database that is being mirrored, your application can take advantage of the drivers ability to automatically redirect connections when a database mirroring failover occurs. You must specify the initial principal server and database in the connection string and the failover partner server.

There is ofcourse many other ways to write the connection string using database mirroring, this is just one example pointing out the failover functionality. You can combine this with the other connection strings options available.

Are you using SQL Server 2005 Express? Don't miss the server name syntax Servername\SQLEXPRESS where you substitute Servername with the name of the computer where the SQL Server 2005 Express installation resides.

If you connect with ADO.NET or the SQL Native Client to a database that is being mirrored, your application can take advantage of the drivers ability to automatically redirect connections when a database mirroring failover occurs. You must specify the initial principal server and database in the connection string and the failover partner server.

There is ofcourse many other ways to write the connection string using database mirroring, this is just one example pointing out the failover functionality. You can combine this with the other connection strings options available.

Are you using SQL Server 2008 Express? Don't miss the server name syntax Servername\SQLEXPRESS where you substitute Servername with the name of the computer where the SQL Server 2008 Express installation resides.

If you connect with ADO.NET or the SQL Native Client to a database that is being mirrored, your application can take advantage of the drivers ability to automatically redirect connections when a database mirroring failover occurs. You must specify the initial principal server and database in the connection string and the failover partner server.

There is ofcourse many other ways to write the connection string using database mirroring, this is just one example pointing out the failover functionality. You can combine this with the other connection strings options available.

Please note if you are using TCP/IP (using the network library parameter) and database mirroring, including port number in the address (formed as servername,portnumber) for both the main server and the failover partner can solve some reported issues.

Are you using SQL Server 2005 Express? Don't miss the server name syntax Servername\SQLEXPRESS where you substitute Servername with the name of the computer where the SQL Server 2005 Express installation resides.

If you connect with ADO.NET or the SQL Native Client to a database that is being mirrored, your application can take advantage of the drivers ability to automatically redirect connections when a database mirroring failover occurs. You must specify the initial principal server and database in the connection string and the failover partner server.

There is ofcourse many other ways to write the connection string using database mirroring, this is just one example pointing out the failover functionality. You can combine this with the other connection strings options available.

Please note if you are using TCP/IP (using the network library parameter) and database mirroring, including port number in the address (formed as servername,portnumber) for both the main server and the failover partner can solve some reported issues.

Connecting to "self" from within your CLR stored prodedure/function. The context connection lets you execute Transact-SQL statements in the same context (connection) that your code was invoked in the first place.